Category Archives: Kingdom of God

Have you really given up everything for Christ? Is He really LORD?Are you operating your business based on biblical principles out of a sense of religious duty or a recognition that your business is God’s business? What are you holding back from the Lord?

“So when they brought their boat to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” — Luke 5:11

There is a difference between doing things for God and letting God do things through you, seeing Him as Saviour and seeing Him as Lord.

In chapter five of the book of Luke, Jesus gets into the boat of Peter the fisherman to preach the Gospel. Once he completes His message, Jesus, recognising that Peter is a business man and that he and his partner caught nothing all night, turns to Peter and gives him some fishing tips. Little did Peter know that the advice Jesus offered would produce probably the greatest one-time fishing harvest that Peter and his business partners have ever experienced. Moved by this experience, Peter comes to realise that the Man he is dealing with is the Lord, and he makes Him his Savior. Upon making Him his Savior, Jesus speaks destiny into Peter’s life: “From now on I will make you a fisher of man.” Peter and his partner, without hesitation, forsake all and follow Jesus. They make Him their Lord.

Have you had a marketplace experience with Jesus? Beyond His role as the Savior of your soul, have you made Him the Lord of your life and business?

Can I suggest one simple change: your Board Room becomes the Prayer Room and the chair at the head of the table JESUS chair. Whenever you can’t agree on the way froward then STOP and go to the Chairman.

In Luke 18:18, a rich young ruler comes to Jesus with a request for what he must do to obtain eternal life. Jesus’ response is that the man must obey the commandments, and the rich young ruler responds saying that he has done so from his youth. Then, Jesus instructs him to forsake all and follow him, but the rich young ruler goes away sad, because he feels he has too much to lose.

What was the difference between the rich young ruler and Peter and his partner? Why were Peter and his partner so quick to forsake all, while the rich young ruler was disheartened by the very mention of loss.

Peter and his Partner

Rich Young Ruler

Recognized Jesus as Savior & Lord

Only saw him as Savior

Desired the Righteousness of Christ

Self-righteous

Humble

Prideful

Were not attached to their possessions

Attached to his possessions

Saw their possessions as really the Lord’s

Saw possessions as his

Focused on the salvation of men

Focused on acquiring things

Received the crown of Glory

Lost his soul

It is easy for us to think that once we put on the kingdom business “hat” and take a Biblical Entrepreneurship class, we are suddenly right with God and can receive His blessing. Not so, God is looking for us to follow Him and surrender our all for His sake. He wants us to let Him take the wheel of our life and business. Like the rich young ruler, you may have done all that is required to receive eternal life according to the law, since you committed your life and business to Him. But have you truly surrendered your life and business to Him? Evaluate yourself and your business today and ask the Lord to show you those areas of your life that you still need to forsake for Him.

My prayer for you today is that God will give you the grace to forsake all and follow Him through your life and business, making Him not just your Lord but your Savior as well.

Inspired by article by Patrice Tsague, Nehemiah Project International Ministries.

This is a breakthrough insight which ever Christian business person needs to grasp and apply.

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers…” Ephesians 4:11

Paul records that Jesus (“…He Himself…”) anoints some believers with supernatural leadership gifts. Indeed, these roles are critical to the functioning of any faith group. But are they relevant outside the four walls of the church? Could they be just as relevant in the marketplace as they are in the pews?

4 Key Words

The four key words in the next verse give us insight into answering this question.

“…for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:12

Equipping (katartismos) is defined as making fit, preparing, training, perfecting, making fully qualified for service.

Work (ergon) means the business, labour, employment, that which anyone is occupied, effort or occupation.

Edifying (oikodome) means the act of building up, to promote growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness, and holiness.

This scripture does not say Jesus gave five-fold ministry to only serve the local church, but to equip all the saints for work. And since 98% of His saint’s work in the marketplace, it is reasonable if not mandatory that these saints be equipped and released to operate in their gifts in the marketplace – not just inside the church.

Isn’t the marketplace the primary place for saints to do the work of the ministry?Already Active

Recently it dawned on me that over the past 30 years, I was walking in my leadership gift roles — and did not realise it. And much of that time, I was not actively walking with the Lord.

Yes, I was saved and with salvation, Jesus gave me two primary leadership gifts: being able to peak around the corner and see what was coming down the road in talent, leadership, and business culture (Apostle) along with the skill, desire, and ability to study and explain these truths in simple, profound ways (Teacher).

Now I realise (and have been ordained) that I have been gifted by Jesus with a special anointing in two areas where He can supernaturally lift my work far beyond my natural leadership abilities, resulting in far greater marketplace and kingdom impact than before.

Stepping into Your Supernatural Leadership Gifts

As I wrote in my previous blog, supernatural leadership is simply taking the leap into allowing the Holy Spirit and the gifts of Jesus to be fully functioning in your professional/business life.

Over the next five posts, I will introduce you to each of the five-fold leadership gifts. As we explore these leadership roles together, my prayer is that Jesus will reveal to you through the Holy Spirit’s witness (Romans 8:16) your one or two primary leadership gifts. (We’ll save discussion on all the other spiritual gifts for later).

As you discover your unique gift(s), you will then realize the key channels through which Jesus desires to release His leadership power through you (Ephesians 3:20) to manifest Himself in transforming your marketplace for His glory.

Anybody out there ready to discover and unleash your supernatural leadership gifts?

About Dr. Jim Harris

President of The Jim Harris Group, an international speaking and advising firm dedicated to helping believers in business unleash their unfair advantage in the marketplace. He is the author of Our Unfair Advantage: Unleash the Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Business and numerous other award winning business books.

Gann was a prolific student of the Bible. He often said it was the greatest book ever written and contains the key to the future. But Gann interpreted the Bible in a completely unique way.

Consider this:

‘That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new, under the sun.’ Ecclesiastes 1: 9

W.D. Gann applied this to the marketplace. Specifically, he believed that the law of action and reaction means that history must repeat. In all markets. Over and over again. Markets are driven by human beings. And human beings do not change. They repeat their behaviours, cycle-after-cycle.

‘The greatest genius that the financial markets have ever seen… His achievements in this arena in every way match those of the greatest scientists of our century or any other.’

Gann’s legend started growing almost instantly after moving to New York City. In the month of October 1909 alone, he made 286 trades in one trading session. Only 22 of these were losing trades. A 91% success rate. The press started following him closely. A journalist from the respected Ticker and Investment Digest spent time on the trading floor observing every trade Gann made over several weeks. He later wrote, ‘I once saw him take $130, and in less than one month run it up to over $12,000. He can compound money faster than any man I ever met.’

Gann’s love for God and the Bible is revealed in a letter to his former boss, who cautioned him about investing in the stock market, as he considered it gambling, he wrote, “I have prayed and studied in secret, and I believe I am going to receive my reward. I believe that our heavenly Father, the ruler and maker of this universe, does know our needs, and that He gives understanding according to the way we would receive it. I was much impressed when I read Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” I have sought that Kingdom and I have found it where the good book says it is: “The Kingdom of heaven is within you.” Again the good book says: “If ye believe in me, greater things than these shall ye do.” I believe I can and will do great things. I firmly believe that the Bible and the Scriptures contain the key to all knowledge, and that all a man has to do is to seek and he shall find , knock and it shall be opened unto him. I believe it is best I go away to New York as soon as I can ……. Through my study of the Bible I have determined the major and minor time factors which repeat in the history of nations, men and markets.”

Two scriptures were important to Gann that everything works according to past cycles. 1. “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done, is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 and 2. “That which has been is now and that which is to be hath already been.”

Rocket expert Wernher von Braun once observed, ‘The natural laws of the universe are so precise that we have no difficulty building a spaceship to fly to the moon and can time the flight with the precision of a fraction of a second.’

Gann, too, was convinced this precision had predictive powers when applied to the markets, the political cycle, even the whole course of human history.

A friend of Gann’s, Clarence Kirven, wrote: ‘He is the only man I ever knew that I thought had worked as much as Mr. Thomas Edison.’

That hard work led Gann to the following conclusion:

‘To make a success you must continue to study past records, because the market in the future will be a repetition of the past. If I have the data, I can tell by the study of cycles when a certain event will occur in the future. The limit of future predictions based on exact mathematical law is only restricted by lack of knowledge of correct data on past history to work from.’

He put out a forecast for 1929 in Gann’s Supply and Demand Letter on the 23 November 1928. In it he predicted with precision the biggest boom of all time in 2929…then the collapse into the 1932 lows.

So how did Gann ‘see’ this cycle when others didn’t?

In short, he put in the work. It was more than that, though, it is hard to dispute that the God Gann believed in provided him with understanding/wisdom from above.

One of the organisations I wholeheartedly endorse is Business Greenhouse. This is the fourth video in the series by Wez Hone: it is on building systems in your business and getting out of debt . You need to watch all four. Be blessed.

Wez Hone has a gift and calling from God to help business people grow successful Kingdom businesses. What do I mean by a Kingdom business. It is one where the owner knows God, and whose business and working life is increasingly an outward manifestation of an inward walk of faith, motivated by God’s love. They are people who have been released from striving for success through their own strength. They are building their working life and business on the rock – Psalm 127:1 & Matthew 7:24-27.

Are you are longing to serve God in your professional life and see His Kingdom manifest through you?

Are you yearning to understand more of how to apply God’s word, His Yes and His ways and be led by the Holy Spirit?

Looking to gain a clearer prophetic understanding of our times, its agenda and God’s purposes?

If you are then you need to contact me and let me connect you with the people and organisations which can help you. May I also suggest you buy a copy of my book Build a Kingdom Business – Empoweredby the Holy Spirit. It is available as an eBook on Amazon or trade paper back by sending me an email on ron@bakb.com.au – cost AUS$10.00 incl postage in Australia.